


in the angel city (chasing fortune and fame)

by Lymans



Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Hollywood, F/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-08-19
Updated: 2014-10-11
Packaged: 2018-02-13 20:50:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 9,867
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2164731
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lymans/pseuds/Lymans
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>What happens when Felicity Smoak, a struggling actress fresh off a Sundance hit, and Oliver Queen, a former Hollywood hunk searching for a career renaissance, are cast as a divorcing couple in John Diggle's latest film? A Hollywood love story of course.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Frat boy Oliver gives me major early-noughties McConaughey vibes and that gave me the idea of Oliver as 'People's Sexiest Man Alive 2008' and rom-com staple until his star starts to fade and life events make him seek more challenging projects. And Felicity with her rambling and bright outfits is the perfect breakout Hollywood star a la 2011 Jennifer Lawrence. Throw in the paparazzi, crazy co-stars, social media, gossip sites etc and you've got a whole lot of fun as these two crazy kids fall in love. 
> 
> Enjoy!

If there was one thing Felicity hated more than anything, it was auditioning. The process made her nauseous from start to finish and she desperately wished she could avoid the whole thing entirely. While she loved the theory behind it, exploring and interpreting a character that was nothing but words on a page and an idea in a writer’s mind, the reality was particularly odious. Standing in front of strangers and asking them to judge her and her work, to decide whether she was good enough for their project, was exhausting and typically humiliating.

Felicity had only been in Hollywood for two years but she tended to find that her auditions went one of two ways. Sometimes they were a total disaster. She would walk into a room and know straight away that she wasn’t what they were looking for. The table of people watching her would radiate negativity before she even opened her mouth. And their negativity would make her stumble and trip over her words, placing the wrong emotions in the scene and losing the energy she had spent hours cultivating. Or the other disastrous scenario that she found herself in was one where she thought she nailed the audition and was actually in with a shot. The casting director and producers would seem positive and she’d walk out of an audition feeling great. Then there’d be the call that they were going in another direction.

Rejection really wasn’t fun.

“David has decided to go with Brie,” Laurel told Felicity before she had even sat down in her office.

Laurel Lance’s reputation for bluntness and no bullshit preceded her in Hollywood. She was rapidly becoming one of the most ruthless agents in the business which was why Felicity loved her. Felicity wasn’t remotely close to a shark so she had Laurel be a shark for her. She was a loyal agent but she had also become a good friend as Felicity struggled to make a name for herself.

“What? I thought the audition went really well. Carrie was positive about my monologue and they all seemed so engaged with my version of Sally.”

“They liked the twist Brie gave the character. I’m sorry, Felicity.” Laurel paused for a moment, her apology genuine, before she barrelled on through. “But there are lots of other great scripts out there. The most important thing is we get you signed to a decent project soon. You’ve got the buzz from Sundance but buzz doesn’t last forever. We miss this opportunity and you go back to being the patient of the week on Grey’s Anatomy.”

“People loved my Grey’s episode. My Twitter was full of people telling me I made them cry.”

“Felicity,” Laurel sighed, “no one has become a star because of Twitter.”

“Actually social media has transformed the way people become famous now. The Teen Choice Awards even had categories for favourite tweeters and youtubers and stuff. Which I think is kind of ridiculous because surely anyone can make a YouTube video but that’s not the point.”

“Felicity.”

“Right. I need a leading role, that’s what you’re saying.”

“Exactly. _Summer of Swallows_ showed the people who matter that you’re talented. But this is Hollywood. There are always new talented, pretty wannabe actresses showing up here every single day. We need to show Hollywood that you’re a star.”

“So more auditions and a healthy dose of rejection?”  

“Like I said, there are lots of great scripts out there. I’ve looked through them and picked four I think are right for you. Go home and give them a read. Let me know which ones you like and we’ll go ahead on working to get you the part.”

* * *

 

Felicity let herself into her small Santa Monica apartment, her arms weighed down with groceries and scripts. Rufus eagerly bounded up to her as she walked through the door, pawing at her legs, desperate for attention.

“Hey boy,” she said, crouching down and carefully balancing all her belongings to scratch at his ears. “I know I’ve been a terrible owner lately but I promise we’ll go for a run tonight.”  That seemed to appease him as he happily scurried away, obviously pacified by her promises.

She put her groceries away quickly and text Sara to let her know her Amazon order had arrived before settling down on the sofa with the pile of scripts and a cup of coffee. The first one was idle fluff, a romantic comedy more befitting to the likes of Queen and Heigl, which was a path she was refusing to go down. And while the second was more engaging, a popcorn flick that would either make millions or be a box office flop, she wanted something she could really sink her teeth into and that would challenge her as an actor. She never came to Hollywood to simply be eye candy.

The third one was different though. By the time Felicity managed to tear her attention away from it, three hours had passed and her roommate was leaning against the doorframe watching her.

“Having fun?”

“I didn’t hear you get back. How was the writing session?”

“We’ve found a way to keep Mark and Elise apart for a few more months so that should keep the fans hooked for a good while.” Sara was one of the writers for _Rodeo Park,_ the newest hit on the CW, and while she frequently complained about writing teenage romance, she loved the show and seeing her words come alive on-screen. _“_ How goes the auditioning?”

“I am drowning in scripts. Help me.”

“Any of them good?”

“I could play the tech genius sidekick to a billionaire vigilante in a new young adult franchise. Spoiler alert, they’re all secretly vampires as well as superheroes. Talk about a mash-up of popular culture.” She tossed the script over to Sara as she sat down next to her on the sofa. “Or I could be a cop who reads minds and solves crimes before they happen. Tragically the one crime I won’t be able to solve is how terrible the script is.”

“Did Laurel choose these for you?”

“Yes. I love your sister but she and I occasionally have differing ideas about what a good script is.”

“My sister would never admit it but she owns all the Bring It On sequels and still watches them religiously. She’s definitely not the queen of great taste. Are any of the scripts good?”

Felicity looked down at the script she was still holding onto, the one that had kept her gripped for hours, and flicked through a few more of the pages. Something about this one was special.

“This one…this one is good. It’s really good.” She could hear the awe in her own voice. “There’s something really great here.”

“What’s it about?”

“It’s all focused on this divorcing couple, Rebecca and Jason. It’s about how their marriage fell apart and the secrets they were keeping from each other. Rebecca has this darkness around her that’s really interesting. She changes so much throughout the script and I could play so many different sides of her in just two hours. It would be different from anything I’ve done before. It could be my big break. I want- no, I need to be a part of this.”

“I haven’t heard you this excited about a film in months. Go and call my sister.”

She smiled at Sara before picking up her phone from the coffee table and heading out onto their balcony. Sitting down at the little patio table Sara had insisted they put out there, she called Laurel, her knee jiggling up and down as she waited for her to pick up. If she missed out on this part, she’d kick herself forever.

“Felicity?”

“John Diggle’s film. I love it.”

“I thought you might. It’s the perfect project for you, Felicity.”

“I could do so much with Rebecca. The rape, the abortion, not to mention the feud with her sister. It’s incredible, Laurel.”

“I’m happy to hear you love it as much as I did. And I’m sure you’ll be happy to hear that I have an audition lined up for you on Tuesday at 10. They’re only auditioning a few actresses because this is something of a pet project for John. His wife, Lyla, wrote the script and they fought for almost five years to get it made before Plan B picked it up. They want it to be perfect.”

“Then I guess I better start brushing up for the audition.”

* * *

 

Felicity always worried that she came off as cold and harsh to her fellow actresses when she was at auditions. Every actor had a different attitude towards auditions. Some liked to smile and chat but others preferred to keep themselves to themselves. Felicity fell into the latter camp.

As she waited for her name to be called, she kept her earphones in, playing a Spotify playlist of mid-noughties indie songs that felt like what Rebecca would listen to, and her eyes fixed on the script. She felt like she was Rebecca. She could hear her thoughts and feel her pain and fear. Engaging with anyone else would only leave her terrified that she would lose her, that she would blink and Rebecca would vanish, leaving behind only Felicity. She could play Rebecca; she knew she could do her story justice. So she kept her head down and her mind in the zone.

“Felicity Smoak?” called the receptionist.

She stood up and stuffed her iPhone and earbuds into her bag, smiling warmly at the receptionist, “Hi.”

“Right through here.”

Felicity was led into a non-descript room set up with a long conference table and a video camera. Behind the table sat five individuals of whom Felicity only recognised two, John Diggle and his creative partner and wife, Lyla. It was a taller woman who looked to be in her mid-forties who stood up to greet her however.

“Hello, Felicity, it’s lovely to meet you. I’m Dede Gardner, one of the exec producers,” she said, shaking her hand firmly and giving her a broad smile. “I’m sure you know John and Lyla, our creative dream team. And over here we’ve got our casting director, Joseph, and another of our producers, Anne.”

“It’s lovely to meet you all,” she said, hoping they couldn’t tell how much her palms were sweating and how fast her heart was racing. Taking a deep breath, she placed her bag on the floor and moved towards the mark in the centre of the room, worn script firmly in hand.

“Whenever you’re ready to begin,” Joseph said, pressing start on the camera.

Felicity might have hated basically all of the auditioning process but this was the one part she loved. Inhabiting a character and letting them come to life was her favourite thing in the world, be it on a movie set or in a tiny room in front of strangers. Everything about her changed. She stopped being Felicity Smoak and she became someone else.

As she started her monologue, the drunken, heartbroken ramblings that were planned to open the film, she felt everything inside her shift. She slouched, worn down by her past, and drew into herself. Her voice softened and her accent took on a slight Southern twang. As she paced around in a circle, she twisted an imaginary wedding ring on her finger and began to sway her hips. Everything about her was Rebecca in that moment and the character slowly became real as she spoke her words.

By the time she was done, she knew exactly who she wanted Rebecca to be, who she could make her be.

The panel’s faces were unreadable as she stood silently on the spot wondering if they had felt the same energy she had as she performed the speech. Saying those words had felt magical and she could only hope they had sensed that too.

“Thank you,” John said, standing up and acknowledging her for the first time. His grip was warm and strong and he smiled at her as he shook her hand. “We’ll be in touch.”

“Thank you for letting me audition. It’s a really wonderful film you’ve created here.”

She picked up her bag and walked out of the building with butterflies fluttering in her stomach. She had never wanted any project as badly as she wanted this. But Hollywood was filled with rumours about who was trying out for the part. Everyone from Jennifer Lawrence to Rosamund Pike had been mentioned on the industry blogs as being interested and potentially auditioning. Laurel had said they were only auditioning a select few actresses but Felicity’s resume was easily overshadowed by someone like Lawrence. TV guest spots and one Sundance hit didn’t compare to Oscars and millions of adoring fans.

Felicity was naturally an optimist but it was at times like this that her mother’s pessimistic nature crept in. So she put the audition out of her mind. Rather than sitting around waiting for the phone to ring, she took a cab back to her apartment, laced up her trainers and put Rufus on his leash. Queuing up her Taylor Swift playlist she put her earbuds in and began to jog down the street towards the beach, Rufus bouncing along at her side. Sports had never been a part of Felicity’s life growing up – she always chose computers and books over physical activity – but California was a state of fitness and health. Sara had forced her to start running when they had begun living together and though Felicity had whined and complained for the first month, she now found it calming. It cleared her mind and shut out the rest of the world.

By the time they reached the beach, she had got herself convinced that the vigilante vampires picture wouldn’t be the end of the world. Doing something fun and well paid would be a good step forward as long the film didn’t bomb terribly. And even if it did, a decent performance would still garner her good reviews which would be a great thing for her career.

Once she felt like she couldn’t run anymore, she dropped down onto the sand and let Rufus off his lead. He automatically scampered off into the cool water and she smiled as she splashed about in the waves.

Her phone buzzed on the sand next to her and the screen showed Laurel’s name.

“Hi.”

“I want you to remember this moment, Felicity. It’s part of my job to predict how a project is going to go and which direction someone’s career is headed in. And, Felicity, this is the moment your life changes forever.”

“What are you saying?”

“John Diggle loved you. So did Lyla. They said you were perfect for the part. They adored you in _Summer of Swallows_ and they want you to be Rebecca.”

Felicity had read about people having out of body experiences but she had never experienced one herself until this moment. She could hear Laurel’s voice in her ear but she could also see herself sitting on the sand, clutching her phone to her ear.

And then she was thrown back into her body to find her heart thumping in her chest and tears forming in her eyes.

“Are you joking?”

“I don’t joke, you know that. Congratulations.”

“I can’t believe this.” Her mind was already running a mile a minute with all the people she would have to call with the news and all the things she could do with the character.

“I’ll email you all the details and you’ll need to drop by my office in the next couple of days to sign the contract. And I’m sure John will be on the phone with you over the weekend.”

“This is so surreal. I need to call Barry and Sara and... Oh my god.”

"Just take deep breaths, Felicity. It will take a while to sink in but it will. And I'm sure Sara will arrange some kind of celebratory drinks for you tonight or tomorrow so I'll see you then." 

Just before she hung up, a question popped into her head. “Wait, do you know who they’ve got for Jason?”

“I was wondering if you were going to ask about your co-star. They’ve decided to go with an interesting…unexpected choice.” Laurel sounded hesitant. Laurel was never hesitant. “The rumour is they’re going to make an offer to Oliver Queen.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Felicity gets to know her infamous co-star.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for the wonderful response to the first chapter!

**Oliver Queen is PEOPLE’s Sexiest Man Alive**

11/17/2008

He may have made us swoon in this summer’s smash hit romantic comedy _Eternal Summer_ but Oliver Queen was still wonderfully stunned when he heard he had won this year’s Sexiest Man Alive crown.

“Are you serious?” was the first thing he said when he heard the news. “My sister is not going to believe this. Or let me ever live it down.”

The Starling City born hunk, known for his incredible abs, partying lifestyle and penchant for staying single, also revealed to us why he doesn’t watch his own films, what it was like to kiss Sandra Bullock and which song it is that makes him cry.

_For our full exclusive interview and photoshoot with Oliver Queen, including what he finds most attractive in women, pick up this week’s issue of PEOPLE on newsstands Friday._

\-------

**SOLVED: CHEATING HUNK**

4/5/2010

This heartthrob may be king of convincing women to fall in love with him but he’s not quite as perfect as he seems. While gossip rags happily print pictures of him and his latest lady love furniture shopping and eating fro-yo, they’re missing out on a much more salacious story. When he’s not bedding his brunette girlfriend, he’s sneaking around with her best friend. That’s right. Our cupid who makes women swoon in his romantic comedies is in fact a love rat. We wonder what his hot-tempered lover will say when she finds out the truth.

Heartthrob:

Girlfriend:

Best friend:

**_SOLVED!_ **

Heartthrob: Oliver Queen

Girlfriend: Helena Bertinelli

Best friend: Roberta Pope

Color us unsurprised at today’s announcement that Queen and Bertinelli have called it off. The reports are that it’s mutual and that they’ve grown apart. The truth is that Helena found Oliver and Roberta in bed screwing like a pair of bunnies. Now when you see Oliver Queen sporting a shiny black eye in new candids, you’ll know how he earned it.

Naughty boy!

\-------

 **WATCH:** Oliver Queen arrested for marijuana possession!

\-------

**Oliver Queen signs on for _When It Rains, It Pours_**

8/25/2011

Oliver Queen has signed on for a new film from Fox Pictures, _When It Rains, It Pours._ Unsurprisingly, it’s another romantic comedy, the standard fare for Queen these days. It tells the story of a weatherman who wishes for love on a shooting star and subsequently finds himself the attraction of every woman he encounters.

Sounds like a typical day in the life of Oliver Queen to us! 

While his career has taken a tumble as of late following a row of box-office flops including the critical and commercial failure, _Fishing for Compliments_ , as well as a charge for drug possession and a DUI, Queen is still a common face on the Hollywood party circuit and we think his good looks and excellent body will keep him employed for a good while yet. 

\-------

**Box Office: Pixar Does It Again! ‘Brave’ Opens Big #1 With $66.7M ; ‘When It Rains, It Pours’ is DISASTER!**

_June 24 th 2012_

The champagne is certainly flowing at Pixar today. Pixar’s heroine-in-the-highlands _Brave_ opened to an outstanding $66.7M this weekend with $24.5M for Friday and $23.5M for Saturday. This is fantastic for a movie opening in a market saturated with kid movies – _Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted_ held comfortably at #2 – and executives will also be overjoyed with its CinemaScores of straight ‘A’s.

In less thrilling news, _When It Rains, It Pours_ opened at $7.6M, placing it at #8 in the box office. It’s a massive blow for Fox Pictures but more so for Queen for whom this marks another in a long line of box office failings. Savaged by critics and box office goers alike, questions are surely being asked across Hollywood this morning about Oliver Queen’s star power.

* * *

“Oliver freaking Queen,” Felicity laughed as Sara slid another rum and coke across the table to her.

“Is she still on about him?”

Barry snorted, “Hasn’t let up since you left the table.”

“I used to have such a big crush on him. My first year of college I had a poster of him on my wall and everything. But that was seven years ago. He’s a joke now.”

“It’s not the end of the world, Felicity. Maybe he’s not as bad as you think.”

“His last film made $42M. _Worldwide_.” She scrolled down to another article on her tablet. “The LA Times has it listed as one of the biggest flops of all time. Of all time.” She sipped at her drink and shook her head. “And that was two years ago. He literally hasn’t worked since then. The gossip columns say he went off the grid after his career fell apart. _InTouch_ says he’s spent the past year in and out of rehab and wasting his parents’ money. Ugh.” Felicity dropped her head onto the bar table while her friends laughed. “I am glad you’re all laughing at my pain. Haha, Felicity’s big break gets tanked by a has-been.”

“The press make stuff up all the time,” Barry said, rubbing her back in commiseration. “One of my clients had to get his publicist to shut down rumours that he was adopting a baby from Ethiopia to win his wife back who was leaving him for his brother. In reality they were happily married and she was four months pregnant. The press lie, Liss.”

“They didn’t lie about that video of him getting arrested,” Laurel snarked from behind her wine glass. The video of Oliver Queen getting handcuffed by two cops while clearly inebriated and stoned had gone viral back in 2011. It had ended up a joke in most of the late night show monologues and there was even a prominent section dedicated to it on his Wikipedia page.

“Or about his man-whoring ways,” Sara said. “Is there a woman in Hollywood he hasn’t slept with? How is the man not a walking STD now?”

“How is this you guys making me feel better? I am going to have to work with this man and he’ll probably be late to set every day and treat it like it’s all a total joke. And then it’ll flop and everyone will blame me and I’ll have to go back to Nevada and do dinner theatre or something and tell the story of the time I almost made it in Hollywood before Oliver Queen screwed it up.”

“Breathe,” Laurel said. “And drink. Yes, Queen has a notorious reputation. But the rumours are that his time away has changed him. More importantly, John Diggle trusts him enough to put him in this film. You know how much he cares about this project. He must have seen something in Oliver.”

 “My sister,” Sara said with a smile, “always the voice of common sense and reason.”

Barry nodded in agreement. “She’s right. You give me a nice chunk of your earnings to help make decisions and manage your career. Queen quit Hollywood for two years. A person can change a lot in that time. And even if he is still a spoilt playboy, Diggle cast him for a reason. Just focus on doing your best.”

“Why did I have to wind up with such sensible friends? Can’t you indulge my tantrum just a little?”

“How about if, once the shoot is finished, we throw you a really big ‘I Hate Oliver Queen’ party where you can rant about everything he did in those six weeks to annoy you?”

“I have such good friends.”

* * *

“The studio loves you both,” Barry reassured her down the phone, “but they want to do a screen test before shooting starts just to see your chemistry and make sure everything is perfect.”

“So technically, even though I signed that massive contract a million times in Laurel’s office yesterday, they could still scrap me and cast someone else?”

“Technically, yes. But the Diggles love you and think you’re perfect for Rebecca. Most likely they want to make sure everything works okay with Oliver. Rumour has it he can be a little temperamental.”

“Wow he keeps appealing himself to me more and more every day.”

Barry’s laugh echoed down the phone. “It’ll all be fine. Just go in there and wow them like you did last time.”

The cab pulled to a stop outside a plain looking office building in Studio City and Felicity paid the cab driver while simultaneously checking her watch and noticing with relief that there was a Starbucks stand in the lobby.

“Thanks,” she called over her shoulder before pushing her way through the revolving doors and hurrying across the lobby in search of caffeine, hoping that she wouldn’t go flying across the polished floor in her heels and make a total fool of herself.

“One tall caramel macchiato please,” she said before noticing a guy in a hoodie also hovering by the stand. “You weren’t waiting, were you?”

“I was just deciding what to order but since you’re clearly more decisive than I am, go ahead.” He turned his attention back to the board for a moment before nodding. “You know what, I’ll have what she’s having.”

The barista nodded, taking both their money at the same time, and Felicity couldn’t help the laugh that escaped her.

“Did I say something funny?” her Starbucks companion asked.

“’I’ll have what she’s having?’”

“Is that funny? I’m terrible at choosing good Starbucks drinks so I normally just get someone else to pick for me.”

“No not that. The line. It’s from When Harry Met Sally; the classic romantic comedy.” When all she received was a blank look, she added, “That scene in the restaurant where Meg Ryan fakes an orgasm and then the old lady, who was actually Rob Reiner’s mother, is all ‘I’ll have what she’s having’ when she’s placing her order.” He quirked an eyebrow at her and Felicity blushed as she realised what she had just said. “I did not just talk about faking an orgasm in front of a perfect stranger. I really need to start controlling what comes out of my mouth.”

“It’s fine,” he nodded diplomatically, handing her back her share of the change. “What’s life without the occasional embarrassment?”

“Try hourly in my case.” As they waited for their drinks, Felicity tried to steal a glance at his face but was frustrated to notice that the combination of his hoodie, cap and sunglasses hid his features incredibly well. Add in the stubble and he was totally non-descript.

“Two tall caramel macchiatos.”

He took a sip of his drink as they walked across the lobby before wincing. “Jesus that’s sweet. Do they mainline sugar into it or something?”

“It is for those with a sweet tooth. I have to admit that I am addicted to them.” She watched as he took another sip and frowned again. “You’re not a fan?”

“I feel like I’m drinking melted sugar mixed with a little bit of coffee.” There was a trash can next to the elevator entrance and he tossed his drink in as the elevator dinged to announce its arrival.

“You just threw away an entire drink.”

“It was either that or have my dentist complain at me for drinking something that literally rotted my teeth.”

“I have been drinking these for three years and my dentist told me at my last check-up that my teeth were doing fine. Aside from the gum disease, but that’s a hereditary thing not a diet based problem, and that I’m over-brushing which is silly when you think about it because all they ever told us as kids was how we needed to brush our teeth more.”

He graciously ignored her ramble as she trailed off, instead asking “Which floor?”

“Eight please.”

“So what are you here for?” he asked.

“A screen test.”

“Are you an actress or behind the scenes?”

“I’m an actress,” she said, feeling the buzz that always shot through her every time she got to tell some that. She wasn’t a wannabe actress; she was a bona fide actress with her own IMDB page and Wiki page. Albeit her wiki was six lines long but it was a start. “I’ve got a screen test to make sure I’ve got chemistry with my co-star, though I’m sure that won’t be hard since he’s made a career out of having chemistry with pretty much every woman in Hollywood. On and off screen.”

“Sounds like you’re a lucky girl.”

“Eighteen-year-old me would be terribly jealous of the fact that I’m getting to work with Oliver Queen. I had the biggest crush on him in my first year of college. I swear my roommate hated me for how many times I dragged her to see _Serendipity._ I probably still have his issue of People’s Sexiest Man Alive in a box back home somewhere.”

Something about this amused her elevator companion because, as they stepped out of the elevator and began to make their way down the same corridor, he smiled at her for the first time and it almost looked like he was struggling not to laugh.

“Did I say something funny? Doesn’t everyone have an embarrassing teenage crush?”

“Oh definitely. I had a massive thing for Baby Spice when I was thirteen. After you,” he said and she stopped as she realised they were outside John Diggle’s office.

She frowned confusedly at him. “You’re going in here too?”

“Yep.” He offered no further explanation and she had no choice but to walk in with him trailing behind her. She desperately traced her mind back over everything she had said to him, frantically hoping she hadn’t put her foot in it with one of the producers who could get her kicked off the film.

“Felicity, it’s wonderful to see you again,” John said, greeting her with a warm smile and strong handshake. “And I see you’ve met your co-star already.”

Felicity could swear that in that moment her heart sunk to her feet as she turned around to find that her Starbucks and elevator companion had finally removed his cap and sunglasses revealing the face that had once had pride of place on her dorm room wall.

“It’s nice to meet you, Felicity. I’m Oliver Queen.”

Of course.

 


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for all the kudos and comments on the last chapter! I haven't had a chance to reply to them like I wish I could have as the new school year has started and settling in my class of 28 seven-year-olds has had to take priority. Hence the delay in getting in this chapter up. But it's here now and I will do my best to reply to comments this time around!

Felicity felt her face flush with embarrassment as Oliver stood in front of her with a lazy smirk on his face. He seemed to be amused by her discomfort judging from the way he quirked an eyebrow at her as she swallowed audibly before stretching out a hand to greet her.

Aware of the audience of producers who were watching them, as well as John who was stood expectantly by her side, she took his hand and shook it firmly.

“It’s nice to meet you…properly. I’m sorry about before. If I’d known-“

“Before?” John interrupted.

“Felicity was kind enough to offer me a coffee recommendation downstairs but it wasn’t to my liking.” He laughed in a way that was instantly charming and she could easily see how he had once been such a popular man in Hollywood. “I appreciated the kindness,” he said, smiling at Felicity. The way he looked at her made her feel like the only person in the room, his gaze practically laser focused upon her, but she couldn’t help but wonder how hard he had worked to achieve this charismatic, amiable air. But then he was off, smiling and shaking hands with all of the producers, sweeping everyone in the room up in his charm attack.  

Felicity stood back watching him with an interested eye. She had heard all the rumours about him and she could see how he had won over Hollywood, both in business and his personal life. Everything about him from the easy smirk to the obviously expensive leather jacket screamed playboy and charmer, the typical Hollywood lothario.

“He’s quite something,” John said, drawing her from her reverie.

“Have you worked with him before?”

“No. Our areas of interest haven’t exactly intersected prior to this project.” Felicity couldn’t help but appreciate his careful acknowledgement of the two men’s differing career paths. John was a twice Oscar-nominated director and everyone in Hollywood was clamouring to work with him. Trite romantic comedies set to a Top 40 soundtrack and filled with endless shirtless scenes were hardly his area of expertise.

“What made you choose him for this?” she asked before wincing at the hint of incredulity in her tone. “Not that I’m questioning your casting choices,” she added hurriedly. “It’s just he isn’t who I would have expected you to cast so you obviously must have noticed something about him that made him the right choice.”

He was silent for a moment, contemplating both Oliver and her question, before saying, “I’ll happily admit that I was reticent when his agent chased us for an audition. Lyla and I care about this film deeply and I fear I gained something of a reputation for being a nightmare when I kept rejecting actors. But there’s something there with Oliver. His performance was…unexpected. Perhaps it’s best I let you discover it for yourself.”

The confidence John had in his lead actor was interesting and unexpected. Sara and her had speculated that the studio had twisted John’s arm to cast a big name since she could hardly be expected to carry a movie to the top of the box office on her name recognition. However the way he talked about Oliver implied nothing of the sort.

“Are you ready for the test?”  

“Yes.” She twisted her script in her hand before flicking to the page featuring the beach scene, one of the earliest in the movie and one of her personal favourites.

It was a simple two-hander they were going to run through but it was emotionally rich as Jason attempted to remind Rebecca of how good their relationship could be by reminiscing about their wedding. Felicity loved the way Lyla had written it. It was simple, nothing more than three pages of dialogue between the couple, but raw and powerful. The entire film was filled with scenes like it, emotional moments that required the actors to make the audience connect with and care about these two individuals. If their performances fell flat then the whole film would crumble.

“We’re ready when the two of you are. All the cameras are set up to go.”

“Sounds great,” Felicity said with a nod. Nervously she scanned over her dialogue again before stepping in front of the camera. Meanwhile Oliver talked quietly with a young woman who was hovering in the corner. He passed his sunglasses and jacket to her before picking up his own copy of the script. As he approached, Felicity could see that it was highlighted in places and covered in masses of scribblings.

Oliver down on the chair next to her, stretching his legs out in front of him, before he gave her a small smile.

“When you’re ready,” John said.

Silence fell over the office as everyone in the room turned their attention to the pair. Felicity took a deep breath and shifted in her chair until she felt less like Felicity and more like Rebecca. 

She turned to look at Oliver and once she did, she found she couldn’t look away. In mere moment he had somehow managed to transform himself, leaving behind the lothario persona he had entered the room with. Gone was the relaxed stance and playboy grin. Instead he was bent over in his chair with a heartbroken look on his face. His shoulders and back were rigid as if he was trying to hold in the emotions coursing through him. And rather than the pleasant air he had had when they had met, now he radiated sadness and desperation.

“Why won’t you give me a chance?” he asked in a sorrowful voice and she felt Rebecca’s anger flare in her veins.

Just like that, they were off. The pair of them barely looked at their scripts as they bounced dialogue between them, allowing emotions to take over them. Felicity found herself forgetting that people were watching them and that they were merely two actors in an office in Los Angeles. Instead she found herself caught up in Jason’s desperation for his wife to give him a chance.

“You can’t expect me to simply forgive you,” she yelled, and she didn’t even realise they were both standing up until she shoved Oliver backwards in a rage.

“And you can’t expect me to simply give up on us,” he yelled back as he stepped forward and grabbed her by the shoulders, pulling her to him.

Her skin burned as he gripped her tightly and she found herself unsure whether she wanted to slap him or kiss him. The sound of her heart beating echoed in her ears and the two of them stood mere millimetres apart, breathing heavily and staring at each other with a mixture of anger, desperation and love. They were so caught up in each other that they barely heard John calling cut. But his voice pulled them back to reality and they stepped apart suddenly. Felicity watched as Oliver blinked and transformed in front of her eyes, returning to his usual charismatic self.

The first thing he said was, “Wow. That was brilliant. It’s not just me, right?”

“No, it’s not just you,” Felicity said and she could hear the awe in her voice. “You were wonderful.”

“As were you,” he said, and this time when Oliver smiled at her it wasn’t the devastatingly charming one from earlier. Instead he gave her a soft, small smile that was accompanied by a look of impressiveness.

John hurried up to shake their hands. “That was fantastic.” The rest of the panel echoed his sentiment and Felicity felt herself blush at their admiration. “You two really understand Rebecca and Jason. Watching you up there, you could feel all the anger and resentment between the two of them but you managed to make us feel the love as well. That’s exactly what Lyla and I wanted.”

“That’s very kind of you to say, John.”

“It’s the truth. We,” he gestured to his fellow producers, “have a few things to discuss but I’ll give your agents a ring later today to discuss pre-production details.”

“That sounds great.” Oliver shook his hand firmly. “Now if you’ll excuse me I have got another meeting to get to. Felicity, would you like to ride down with me?”

“Oh, yes,” she said, startled by the invitation. “I look forward to hearing from you, John.”

The pair of them gathered up their belongings and shook hands with each of the producers before exiting the office. The young woman who had been hovering at the back of the room for the entire meeting followed behind them but it wasn’t until they got in the elevator that she spoke.

“Ollie, you were amazing,” she cried before looping her arms around his neck and hugging him tightly. “That was so good. Why have you never acted like that before?”

“Thanks,” he commented dryly, rolling his eyes over her shoulder at Felicity.

“And you were fab too,” the girl said, turning her attention to Felicity but keeping hold of Oliver. “I loved you in Summer of Swallows.”

“Thank you. It’s nice to meet you…” She trailed off awkwardly waiting for the girl to introduce herself.

“Oh I’m Thea,” she said before embracing Felicity tightly. “I’m Oliver’s sister. And his PA. This was the only way I could get him to agree to let me move out to LA.”

“Overprotective sibling, I know that well.”

“Is your brother the same?”

“No, I’m an only child. But my roommate, Sara, and my agent, Laurel, are sisters and they decided a long time ago to treat me as if I’m their little sister. They judge every decision I make and have an opinion on everything I do.”

Oliver smiled at that. “They sound like good siblings. It’s our job to stop those younger than us making terrible decisions.”

“Shut up, Ollie. Everything I do pales in comparison to your terrible decisions.”

He hit her on the shoulder as they stepped out of the elevator and Felicity laughed. This Oliver, the one who bantered with his little sister and judged her decisions, was nothing like the one she was used to seeing in interviews and splashed across the pages of tabloids.

“Thea, get in the car. I’ll join you in a minute.”

His sister waved Felicity goodbye and headed out of the lobby after poking her tongue out at her brother, leaving Felicity alone with Oliver.

“I was wondering if you would like to have dinner on Monday night.”

“Dinner? With you?”

She cursed internally as he laughed. “Yes with me. I always find it a good idea to get to know my co-stars before filming starts.”

“Um okay,” she said because was _the_ Oliver Queen really asking her to dinner?

“Excellent. I’ll get Thea to give you a ring over the weekend to arrange details. It was great to meet you.”

He gave her a broad smile and then he put his sunglasses on and was gone, strolling out of the lobby and sliding into a black town car, looking every inch the Hollywood superstar, leaving behind a dazed Felicity Smoak who couldn’t help but wonder what on earth she was letting herself in for.

As the town car disappeared from view, she pulled out a phone and sent a text to Sara.

Her roommate’s reply came almost immediately.

__  


 

 


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Felicity has dinner with her irritatingly handsome co-star.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm alive! And I haven't forgotten this story! Teaching is leaving me little time for writing but I've finally had time to sit down and write Oliver and Felicity's dinner. Half term is just around the corner as well and that, plus having Arrow back in my life on a weekly basis, means updates should gain some regularity. 
> 
> In regards to Oliver's characterisation, I'm trying to walk a line between pre-island Oliver and the Oliver we see on the show. Stuff has happened to change Oliver, which will be explored, but nothing as soul-destroying as what our Oliver went through. He's happier than post-island Oliver but more mature than pre-island Oliver. His "missing years" will be explained eventually but I just wanted to make it clear where my Oliver comes from. 
> 
> Enjoy!

Felicity smoothed her dress down over her thighs as she passed her keys to the valet. It was easy to spy the few paparazzi loitering on the street but she doubted they would be incredibly interested in her arrival. Sundance may have increased her profile amongst the critics but the gossip rags had yet to pay her any attention. It wasn’t like she lived a wildly interesting life that would make for good tabloid fodder.

Though she supposed that if the paparazzi knew who she was having dinner with tonight then they might show a little more interest in her presence.

As she passed them and entered the restaurant, she couldn’t stop her jaw from dropping slightly at the auspicious surroundings that her companion had picked. While the restaurant was on the smaller side, every inch of it seemed to be steeped in wealth and elegance. Suddenly her vintage Chanel dress, a thrift store purchase with Laurel last summer, seemed wildly out of place.

“May I help you?”

A man with a nasally, pretentious, and mostly like fake British accent stood rigid in front of his maître d’ podium sweeping his gaze over Felicity with an unimpressed look. Refusing to be intimidated, she took a deep breath, drawing herself up to her full height and thanking God for the extra four inches her heels gave her, and approached him.

“I’m having dinner with Oliver Queen.”

The sentence surrounded surreal and she could almost hear her eighteen-year-old self gasping in disbelief. Since arriving in Hollywood, she had had a number of encounters with people she had spent her teen years idolising and each one had made her want to pinch herself to see if it was really happening. Oliver Queen might be a pretentious ass but she couldn’t help but feel a little giddy.

“We don’t appear to have a reservation for anyone under that name,” he said coolly. “Perhaps you’re mistaken?”

His unimpressed look caused a faint blush to rise up on her cheeks. She glanced back down at her phone, reading Thea’s text from the day before, confirming that she was at the right restaurant at the right time.

“Could you check again please? We should have a reservation for eight and though I have a tendency to get things confused, this is definitely where I’m supposed to be having a ridiculously intimate dinner with Oliver Queen tonight.”

Rather than showing even a flicker of amusement at her words, the maître d’ instead simply sneered before sending her a cold look.

“I apologise but if you do not have a reservation then I will have to ask you to leave.”

This time she felt herself flush with anger at his behaviour but before she could snap at him, she heard a familiar voice calling her name.

“Felicity!”

Approaching the pair, dressed in an incredibly well-tailored suit that made him look infuriatingly handsome, was Oliver Queen.

He brushed easily past the maître d’, ignoring his inquest into whether he actually knew Felicity, giving her a warm smile that oozed charisma, causing her to smile back in a way that she hoped did not betray either her nerves or the stubborn butterflies in her stomach that had formed when he appeared looking annoyingly attractive.

“I was worried you’d gotten lost or stood me up.”

“No, not at all. There was just a little confusion between me and my friend here over the reservation name.”

“That would be my fault,” Oliver said, leading her towards their table. “I’ve always avoided booking any reservations under my name. Force of habit.”

“Ah so when I was asking for Oliver Queen, I should have been asking for…”

He drew out a chair for her before answering. “Bruce Wayne.”

A snort escaped her and she shook her head. “Batman? Really?”

“My sister’s idea of a joke. I was pretty obsessed with him as a kid. Raisa had to fight to get me to not wear Batman pajamas to school for the whole of first grade, something she never lets me forget.”

“Raisa?”

“Our maid,” he said and Felicity noticed that he seemed almost embarrassed at that admission.

“Well Batman is pretty great, especially when he looks like Christian Bale, so I can understand your reluctance to wear regular clothes.”

“Exactly,” he laughed. “In fact I may or may not be wearing a Batman t-shirt under this suit right now.”

“I’ll just have to find out for myself then.” It took her a moment to realise what she had just said causing her to blush furiously and shake her head. “I meant find out through you telling me. Not me undressing you…not that undressing you would be repulsive. I’m sure you’re very nice to be undress but…” She took a breath. “And I will stop this rambling in three, two, one.”

Rather than looking irritated at her ramblings, the response Felicity was most used to, he instead simply looked bemused. And thankfully she was unable to embarrass herself any further by their waiter approaching with a bottle of wine.

“I hope you don’t mind that I ordered for us. A Châteauneuf-du-Pape '85. Do you like red? If not I can order something else.”

“I love red wine,” she told him happily as the waiter poured and she couldn’t help but wonder if she was simply over-analysing or whether Oliver was actually nervous about this dinner. The thought was ridiculous because what on earth could he have to be nervous about?

“So Felicity Smoak. You ramble, you drink hideously sugary coffee and you like red wine. What else should I know about you?”

And then he was looking at her with a terrifyingly focused and intense gaze as if no one else in the restaurant existed but her.

“Um well there’s a not a lot to tell really. Nothing as interesting as being the Hollywood It boy.”

At her comment, the warmth in his eyes vanished and his features hardened.

“It really wasn’t all that interesting.”

“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have said that. You’re a lot more than that. The screen test proved that.”

“You liked my performance?”

“You were incredible. Don’t take this the wrong way but I didn’t know you could act like that.”

He laughed at her words; the warmth returning to his gaze. “Is there a right way to take that?”

“I just meant-“

“I know what you meant. I’ll be the first to admit my career wasn’t exactly of the highest calibre in the past.”

“I enjoyed your films.”

“I seem to remember you telling me as much in the elevator," he teased. "And for a long time I was happy making those films. But…” He trailed off and wrinkled his brow as if remembering something. “Now I’m looking for something different, a real challenge. Diggle and this movie are the total opposite of my past work.”

“If you don’t mind me asking, what made you make the change? I’ll admit I was pretty surprised when my agent said Diggle was casting you. You weren’t what I expected.”

“Is that a good thing?” he asked and Felicity politely pretended not to notice him evading her question.

“Having seen your performance, absolutely. I think you’re going to surprise a lot of people.”

“That’s what my agent has been telling me. His exact words were that my niche at this point is ‘shallow date night movies that no one actually sees.’”

“Wow. He sounds…charming.”

“He’s a good guy; tough but honest. He’s exactly what my career needs. Though my old representation weren’t exactly sad to see me leave.”

“Really?”

The waiter placed their starters in front of them, moving silently around their table as if he were a ghost, which Felicity supposed was expected in a place like this.

“I don’t know if you’ve noticed but the name Oliver Queen isn’t worth what it once was in this town. Anyway,” he said, “what about you?”

“Me?”

“What’s your story? What brought you to this film?”

She took her time chewing her food, wondering how best to summarise her life.

“It’s pretty cliché really. I grew up in Vegas and I always loved watching movies. Then when I was twelve, _Ocean’s Eleven_ came to film there and my friend’s mom was an assistant on the set. I got to watch filming a couple of times and I just knew that this is what I wanted to do. So I did the classic drama club in high school, drama major at NYU thing and then moved out here the day after graduation. Of course it turns out getting your big break isn’t that easy. I only quit my waitressing gig after Sundance. Then I read this script and I knew I had to be a part of it. It’s amazing. I can’t wait to get started even if it’s very scary.”

“Well we can be scared together. I’m sure the critics are going to be ready to tear me apart before they even see a second of footage.” Felicity stared at him over the top of her wine glass, drinking in his slight frown and slumped shoulders. There was no trace of the cocky charmer who had been in their meeting the week before nor the young playboy she had been so used to seeing on the front of magazines. Instead she saw a vulnerable, open man trying to start over. “What?” he asked, meeting her gaze.

“You’re just not who I expected.”

“What were you expecting?”

“Honestly? I expected you to be kind of an asshole.”

The loud laugh that escaped Oliver echoed around the restaurant, drawing glances from some of their nearby patrons.

“You certainly have a way with words, Felicity.”

“It’s a gift.”

“If I’m being honest, I used to be an asshole. But a lot of things have changed over the past couple of years; I’ve changed.”

Her instinct was to ask what had happened to Oliver to make him seek a fresh start but the pained look on his face warned her that this wasn’t the time to ask. Thankfully their waiter re-appeared with their next course and Felicity took the interruption as a chance to change the topic.

“So how are you preparing for the shoot? I can’t believe we start rehearsals in only two weeks.”

“I’d heard that Diggle likes a fast pace on his shoots, especially in pre-production. I’m actually flying out to Maine tomorrow morning. The plan is to rent somewhere and hide out for a couple of weeks with the script, really get inside Jason’s mind. The emotional range in the script is insane.”

“I know. And I feel like I need to bring my best work because the script is so great. I don’t have the name or the experience to rely on. I have to prove myself with this. Not that you don’t,” she added suddenly. “It’s just-“

“It’s just that you’re pretty new here and Hollywood is a cruel place.”

“Exactly. I feel so lucky to even have this part. The last thing I want to do is to screw it up.”

“I’m sure you won’t. You might have been impressed with my audition but I was equally impressed with yours.”

A warm blush rose in her cheeks at his words and she smiled warmly at him. “Thank you.”

“No need to thank me. It’s the truth. I’m excited to see what you come up with in rehearsals.”

“Do you know what Diggle’s rehearsals are like?”

“All I know is from Chris who worked with him a couple of years ago on _Finding Grace._ ”

“I loved that film! I was so happy when Chris won his Oscar for it.”

“What Chris said in his speech was true; he was there because of John. Apparently his rehearsals are all about digging right down into the depths of your character. It’s why he loves this script so much. It’s the epitome of character-driven work. He’s all about getting the chance to really focus on the minute details of a person.”

“That’s what I noticed when I was re-watching _Finding Grace_ last night.” At Oliver’s questioning look she explained, “I’m re-watching all of John’s work right back to when he was directing episodes of _The West Wing_. I figured it was the best way for me to see his technique for myself before we start work. And also because I’m a huge nerd who loves watching stuff with commentary.”

 “See now I'm intimidated."

"Intimidated? By me?"

"Yes. You're already prepping like crazy. Look I’ll admit that in school I wasn’t the kind of guy who did his homework.”

“Really? I never would have guessed based on your D in Algebra.” He gave her a confused look. “I may have perused your IMDB page after the screen test. I didn’t know you used to tap dance.”

“I hate the internet. But as I was saying, I wasn’t the kind of guy to do homework but you’re making me feel like I am going to have to step up by game for this shoot and actually do my homework on our director."

“Us nerds have a way of making people do that,” Felicity laughed.

If she had known a couple of hours ago when she was in her bedroom formulating escape plans with Sara that she would be laughing and joking, having an actually enjoyable time, with Oliver Queen then she would have thought herself mad. But he was nothing like she expected. She had been preparing herself for an exhausting shoot with an egotistical asshole. Instead she found herself, for the first time, actually looking forward to working with her co-star.

“You know, Felicity Smoak, I think we’re going to get along just fine.”

“It’s funny. I was just thinking the exact same thing.”

As they exchanged main courses for dessert, their conversation drifted to more casual topics like their favourite films - Pulp Fiction vs. Se7en - favourite directors - Oliver idolised Tarantino while Felicity confessed her deep desire to work with David Fincher ("even if I just stood in the scene and didn't say a word") - and everything in between. 

"How can you possibly think  _The King's Speech_ deserved to win?" Felicity asked, not noticing or caring that her steady drinking over the course of the evening had led to her raising her voice to the point that the couple at the next table were watching her bemusedly. 

"It was a good film!" Oliver laughed, shaking his head and polishing off his third glass of wine. 

"A good film? Are you insane?" She waved her dessert spoon around, gesticulating wildly. "It was Oscar bait through and through. It's criminal that it beat  _The Social Network._ "

"Are you sure that's not just your "Fincher fangirl" heart speaking, as you put it?" 

"No. It's an objective fact that Fincher made the better movie and it should have won Best Picture and Best Director."

"I don't you think you know what a fact is."

"I don't think you know what your face is!"

"What?" Oliver said incredulously, his face the picture of bemusement. 

"I may have had a little too much to drink." 

"Are you ready for the bill?" their waiter asked as he approached the table. 

"Just put it on my card," Oliver said and he slid a black Amex card to the waiter. 

"No you can't pay for it all. Let me pay my half."

"Felicity, I promise you'll have plenty of chances to buy me dinner once we're in Maine."

"If I didn't know any better, I'd think you were asking me out on a date." The words left her mouth before she realised what she was saying and she slapped her hand over her mouth almost instantly, her face burning with embarrassment. "I didn't mean that. I've just had too much to drink and now I'm embarrassing myself. Forget I just said that."

The waiter passed Oliver back his card and he easily slipped it into this wallet before standing.

"I'm sorry to rush off like this, Felicity, but I've got an early flight in the morning and I promised my sister I would be ready to collect her at six."

"Oh that's okay."

"I had a wonderful time tonight and I'm looking forward to working with you."

"Me too." 

She stood up, swallowing back her embarrassment, and wondered whether they should shake hands or hug. But as she debated between the two, Oliver decided for them by stepping forward and hugging her. His arms were strong as he hugged her tightly and she couldn't help but appreciate the solidness of his chest as he pressed himself against her. 

Then, as she was cursing her brain for having more inappropriate thoughts, she felt Oliver's warm breath against her ear as he whispered "maybe I was."

And with that he was wishing her goodbye and strolling out of the restaurant, back to being every inch the movie star, leaving behind a confused Felicity who was soon replaced by one who probably looked gormless to the other patrons as she stood stock still with her jaw hanging open.

Had Oliver Queen just implied he was going to ask her out on a date? 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm kind of a nerd about movies so I'll tend to drop random references to things in this fic just because I find them fun!  
> \- The putting reservations under a pseudonym is stolen from Notting Hill and because I needed Oliver as a billionaire vigilante somewhere in this fic!  
> \- Felicity is about a year younger in my fic than she is on the show but either way, she'd still have been in Vegas when Ocean's Eleven was filming and it seemed like the perfect gateway into the movie world for a young Felicity.  
> \- The Chris that worked with John on Finding Grace is supposed to be Chris Evans because I love him and this is my chance to give him a (fictional) Oscar. If anyone's interested, in this world he won in 2012 over Jean DuJardin (Chris is also the actor who's IMDB page revealed that he tap dances).  
> \- The King's Speech vs The Social Network Oscar race is something I (and many other people who got overly invested in TSN back in 2010) are still angry about today. It was Oscar bait vs innovation and I like to think Felicity would firmly be on team!Social Network (hello it's a movie about coding).


End file.
